


The Merman and the Ranger

by AzuraStark_Laufeyson



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-09 05:05:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17995409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzuraStark_Laufeyson/pseuds/AzuraStark_Laufeyson





	1. Part 1: Wrong Place, Wrong Time

The sea was silent but it didn’t stop some local fishermen from heading out. They saw that the ranger’s station was just opening up. Out of the door was Eddie Walker, a guy of average height with brown hair and blue eyes.  
“See you tonight babe?” he asked  
“Yeah, is there anyone out there?” A voice called from inside the cabin  
“Yeah, just some fishermen.” Eddie called back “Have fun!” and he went to start his day. The ranger, Azura Stark, was getting ready to head out herself when she saw them coming. She had just moved out of her dad’s house but she still keep in contact. She went to see if their licenses were still good and told them about a special spot not too far away. Meanwhile, under the cerulean blue waves there was another world hidden from the surface world. This was the world of the fabled merfolk and there were a group of them living in a coral reef. The leader of the group was Thor with his blonde hair and blue eyes but his tail had scales of red, silver, and blue. His brother Loki had raven hair with emerald green eyes while his tail had a mix of green, blue, and gold scales. The others were Sif with a regular brown tail to match her hair, Hogun with a black tail, Fandral with a blonde tail, and Volstagg with a red tail.   
They headed out to make sure that everything was alright and it seemed like everything was alright when Fandral decided to head out further.   
“This is a bad idea you know.” Volstagg said but he was ignored so they can continue exploring.  
“This looks like a perfect place.” Fandral said and a minute later a school of fish swam by. They played with the fish for awhile but they stopped when they noticed something. Loki was hit in the navel with a harpoon. Thor managed to get it out and they all scattered but Loki was grazed in the shoulder as he tried to swim away. Another harpoon grazed his tail and he was thought he was in the clear but another harpoon got him in the base of his tail. He swam all the way to a nearby shore and passed out. Thor and the others made it back home but they were concerned that Loki wasn’t with them. Azura was coming home when she spotted something odd on the beach.   
“What the hell?” she asked and pulled over to see what was going on. “No way.” she said and went to take a better look. Someone’s put this guy through the wringer she thought as she gently removed the harpoon from the merman’s tail. There we go. She thought knowing that bandaging his wounds wouldn’t do well in the water. “Don’t you go anywhere, I’ll be right back.” she said and went to get her portable tank. After she left, Loki finally woke up and saw that someone had removed the harpoon from his tail.   
“Don’t you go anywhere, I’ll be right back.” a woman’s voice echoed in his head and he knew that he wasn’t fully recovered so he stayed put. Seeing a vehicle pull up he almost bolted for the water but when he saw a young woman get out of the vehicle, he stayed Is that the same woman? He thought as she headed his way.  
“Glad to see that you’re awake.” she said with a smile and he realized that it was the same woman.   
“Were you the one that helped me?” he asked  
“Yep, and I’m going to help you again.” she said and helped him into the tank so she can take care of his wounds easier. They got to the station and she made sure that her operating table was ready for aquatic arrivals. She saw that he was still in the tank. She got him inside and onto the table. “This is specially made for marine life and I hope that you’ll be alright.” she said. Loki could hear the worry in her voice as she got her first aid kit ready.   
“I didn’t expect there would be any caring humans.” he said  
“Well, technically I’m only half human.” she said and let her eyes, which were brown, to revert back to their normal topaz gold.  
“An Animorph.” Loki said “I thought they didn’t exist.”  
“I didn’t think merfolk existed but here we are.” she said which made him smile. She got a needle and the dissolving stitches. “I’ll try to be gentle.” she said and started sowing his wounds shut. She was gentle around his tail knowing that it was as sensitive as any other body part. He looked at the stitches and watched as she put her supplies up.   
“Now what?” He asked and she started wheeling him towards a pool that was for recovering animals after surgery.  
“Now, you recover in this until you feel well enough to return to the ocean.” she said and she returned her eyes to the brown color cause she heard Eddie’s car in the driveway.   
“My name’s Loki by the way.” he said  
“Azura.” she said “Be careful swimming.” and she left to clean the operating table.  
“Babe? You home?” Eddie called  
“Yeah, just one second.” she answered and watched as he went underwater. She saw that Eddie had picked up dinner.   
“Long day?” he asked  
“You could say that.” she said as she washed her hands before eating. Loki rested at the bottom of the recovery tank wondering why a human would care for their kind. Why must she hide who she is? Loki thought She’s beautiful for a human. He knew that there were two ways a human and a merfolk could be together. One was for the merfolk to become human and live on land while the other was for the human to trade their legs for fins and live under the waves. He fell asleep and he dreamed of the both of them swimming under the waves with her having a tail of greens and golds. She and Eddie went to bed but she stayed awake thinking of what she could do with her guest while she was out doing her job.   
The only person that she could trust was her father and she made a mental noted to call him while she was out before she finally fell asleep.


	2. Part 2 How to Save a Life

Morning came and Eddie awakened to hear Azura cooking in the kitchen.  
“Morning babe.” Eddie said with a smile  
“Morning.” Azura said and fixed him a plate before he left for the day. She went to check on her guest who was sleeping on the bottom of the tank. “Loki?” she called and he opened his eyes to see who was calling his name.  
“Good morning, my friend.” he said as he reached the surface.  
“How are your wounds?” She asked  
“They’re all healed and the stitches have gone away.” he said  
“May I take a look?” she asked  
“Of course since you were so polite.” Loki said and lifted his tail for her to see.  
“Damn, I’m so good I scare myself.” she said as the stitches were gone and there were barely any scars. He put his tail back in the water and looked up at her.  
“Something on your mind?” he asked  
“Well, when I’m with Eddie I have to hide who I am but when I’m with you and Dad I don’t have to hide.” she said   
“Are you and your father close?” he asked  
“Yeah.” she said and pulled out her phone and showed a picture of her and her dad, Tony Stark, just being plain goofs with her holding an orange and they’re both looking at it curiously.   
“You’re really beautiful when you smile.” Loki said making her blush  
“I have to check on the beach where I found you so I can clean up any messes there.” she said  
“You will be back right?” Loki asked not really wanting her to leave.   
“Yeah, you can see that my vehicle has a seashell on it so I’ll be easy to spot.” she said and Loki took her hand and placed a light kiss on the back of it.  
“Wishing you luck on your day.” he said and dove underneath again. She headed to her car and pulled out her phone again and called her dad.  
“Hey, honey what’s going on?” Tony asked  
“Hey, a lot Dad.” she said   
“Spill.” he said  
“Well, I met one of the merfolk yesterday.” she said  
“What?” he asked  
“He was injured and I took care of him.” she said “He’s in the recovery tank right now.”  
“Alright, you haven’t changed your eyes.” he said “Is everything ok?”  
“I don’t have to hide when I’m around my scaly guest.” she said  
“Well, that’s good because it seems like your guest might be better for you.” he said  
“I might be starting to like him.” she said  
“I wish you the best of luck of catching him.” he said “Have a good day, love you baby girl.”  
“I will, love you too Dad.” she said and she hung up. Changing her eyes back to brown, she headed out to the beach where she met Loki. She pulled over and looked around to find the harpoon still in the water. She picked it up and put it in her car before she went back to check if there was anything else and nearly fell on her back when she saw another one of the merfolk swim up to the shoreline.   
“Hello.” the merman said  
“Hello.” Azura said and she noticed that this merman had blonde hair but his tail was red, blue, and silver. “How can I help you?” she asked.  
“My name is Thor and I’m looking for my brother Loki.” he said “Since you asked nicely.”  
“Loki’s your brother?” Azura asked  
“Yes.” Thor said “Have you seen him?”  
“Yes, he’s being treated for his wounds at my station.” she said “It’s my job to take care of the ocean’s creatures.”  
“Would you take me there?” Thor asked  
“Of course, but I don’t have my tank with me.” she said  
“I’ll go with you.” he said and before she could protest, he started making his way to the beach. She quickly turned her head but she could tell that out of the corner of her eye, he was wearing a pair of swimming trunks.   
“Merfolk magic.” she said and laid a towel down on the passenger seat so he would have a dry spot to sit. She drove towards her station and he saw the harpoon in the back. “I plan to get rid of that cause that thing does not belong in the ocean.” she said already feeling his gaze on her. They reached the station and she showed him where the recovery tank while she was placing the harpoon in a biohazard bag and putting in the dumpster outside. She saw that the two were already talking and Thor smiled when he turned to see her in the doorway.  
“Thank you for taking care of him.” he said  
“You’re welcome.” she said  
“Loki tells me that you’re an unusual individual.” Thor said and his eyes widened as he watched Azura’s change from brown to their usual topaz gold. “Why hide yourself?” he asked  
“My boyfriend Eddie doesn’t know the real me.” she said and then she remembered that he was going to be home any minute. “Oh, God he should be home soon.” she said and she opened a cabinet that held a Ranger’s outfit and handed it to Thor. “It’s a disguise.” she said and he went to go put it on.   
“Not bad.” she said “You’re my assistant that was at another station and we were helping take care of a sick whale.” Loki looked a little offended  
“It’s to throw him off the scent brother.” Thor said and Loki nodded while diving underneath. She heard Eddie’s car pull up and she led the way.   
“Hey, baby.” Eddie said “Who’s this?”  
“This is my assistant Lief.” she said “He was at another station for awhile before coming back to help me with a sick whale.”   
“How are you Leif?” Eddie asked  
“I’m alright, you must be Eddie.” Thor, or Lief, said   
“Yep.” Eddie said “I just wanted to come by and see how you were doing.”  
“Thanks for checking on me.” she said and giggled when Eddie kissed her cheek before leaving, although she knew that he was coming back later at the end of his day. They went back to the recovery room and Loki was already waiting for them.   
“What do we do now?” he asked  
“We move you a day early.” she said and she got the tank ready to be moved. What they didn’t realize that Eddie was in his car watching everything. The tank was at the door of an alcove that was deep enough that he could easily hide but he had more room to move around in.   
“Ready?” Thor asked and they tipped it just low enough that Loki made his leap into the water and Eddie caught it.   
“How do you feel?” Azura asked  
“So much better.” Loki said “Thank you.”  
“Thank you so much for helping us.” Thor said “You are welcome anytime.” and he turned to leave  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked  
“It means you are a friend of the sea.” Loki said “Which is the highest honor anyone can have.”  
Thor was back in his swim trunks and dove into the water. He surfaced and looked at her curiously.   
“Aren’t you coming in?” he asked  
“I’m not properly dressed.” she said  
“We can wait.” Thor said and she went to change her sign to say that she would be back soon and placed her phone and wallet into a bag before changing into a one-piece bathing suit and went back to the alcove. The brothers were still there like they said and she dove in.   
“I needed that.” she said  
“Now you don’t need to hide.” Thor said  
“What?” she asked  
“You can be yourself around us.” Thor said and she let her eyes go back to their topaz gold and Eddie couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Azura swam by the brothers but they were going easy on her since they can outswim her. She sat on the dock drying off while the brothers were talking underwater.  
“I can see that you like her.” Thor said  
“I can’t deny that but she doesn’t have to be so miserable.” Loki said  
“I understand, I can see if there’s anyway you two can be together.” Thor said and headed out of the alcove towards the ocean.   
“Loki? Are you still here?” she asked  
“Of course, is everything alright?” he asked as he surfaced  
“I think I’m starting to like you.” she said   
“Well, it just so happens that I like you too.” Loki said and he kissed her cheek “I wish you luck.” and he disappeared under the surface. She grabbed her phone and started calling her dad.   
“Hey, Kid.” Tony said “What’s going on?”  
“I think Eddie might be up to something.” she said as she put her call on speaker so she could change clothes.   
“Like what kind of things?” Tony asked  
“I think he might’ve seen me.” she said “But I’m not hundred percent sure.” she felt a breeze coming through the open window. “Dad, I have to go.” she said and that’s when she felt something hit the back of her head knocking her out. Tony was on his way when she abruptly hung up and he saw the alcove that was in the back of the station. Loki looked up to see someone hovering above the surface.   
“Azura’s dad I presume?” He asked  
“Yeah, something’s happened.” Tony said  
“Then she must’ve been found out.” Loki said and he tried swimming towards the shoreline. He concentrated and his tail became legs. He was wearing a pair of black and green swimming trunks.   
“Let’s check the station to see if there was any kind of struggle.” Tony said flying over there and Loki followed. He was liking the idea of having legs and when they reached the station, they noticed that it was nice and tidy. But they were was a note on the coffee table.   
“I have Azura if you want her back, I need the merman” Tony read aloud and he came up with an idea. Eddie was waiting at Shark Fin Bay and he had Azura tied up hanging over the water.   
“Wakey wakey baby.” Eddie said trying to get her to wake up  
“Eddie?” She asked as soon as she woke up  
“Hey, there she is.” Eddie said “How are we feeling?”  
“You tell me since you have an idea on what I’m doing here.” she said and that caused Eddie to lower the rope sending her into the water.   
“Well, I happen to be work for the black market and we were looking for merfolk.” Eddie said “But who would’ve thought that you had found one.”  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” she said and Eddie took out his phone to show her the picture of Loki diving into the water.   
“I think you know where he is.” he said  
“I don’t actually.” she said and Eddie dunked her again. Tony and Loki were on their way to help her.   
“Do we have a plan?” Loki asked  
“I try and distract him long enough for her to get out of harm’s way.” Tony said and they finally reached the bay.  
“We can’t find any of them.” one of Eddie’s co-workers said  
“Did you look everywhere?” Eddie asked  
“Yeah, and we didn’t find anything.” the co-worker said. Eddie decided to take matters in his own hands and was about to dunk her once again but the sound of a repulsor charging caught him off guard.   
“Hello, Mr. Stark.” Eddie said  
“Hi, Eddie.” Tony said “What brings you here?”  
“Oh, you know just spending time with the boys.” Eddie said  
“Really?” Tony asked “So, what’s she doing here?”  
“She’s just hanging out.” Eddie said and Azura rolled her eyes at his lame joke  
“Well, why don’t we call this whole thing off and you let her go?” Tony asked hoping that Eddie wasn’t going to do anything stupid.   
“Alright.” Eddie said and he sent her into the water but Tony realized that Loki was already in the water and he saved her from drowning.   
“Loki?” Azura asked looking at her rescuer  
“Returning the favor.” he said and Tony had arrested Eddie. The trio returned to the station where she didn’t have to hide who she was and they made a life out of living on land and always made time to swim in the ocean side-by-side. Tony was finally happy knowing that his daughter was in good hands and someone who loved her for her true self. He even visited sometimes to check on them and even Thor was happy knowing that his brother finally got the girl.


End file.
